Signature feeding and stitching machine



Oct. 28, 1952 A. H. scHMlD'rKE 2,615,151

SIGNATURE FEEDING AND STITCHING MACHINE Filed oct. 18, 195o s sheets-sheet 1 fig.

INVENTQR. ALBERT HER/VAN SCHH/PTKC 9 TTOQ/VEYS.

Oct. 28, 1952 A. H. SCHMIDTKE SIGNATURE FEEDING AND STITCHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 18, 1950 3 Sheets-'Sheet -2 INVENTUR. AL BERT HIP/VAN CHM/puf Olga/1l@ G77-021V E Y6 Oct. 28, 1952 A. H. SCHMIDTKE SIGNATURE FEEDING AND STITCHING' MACHINE 3 Sheets-@Sheet 3 Filed 001.. 18, 1950 l IN VEN TOR. 7 5 AL @EET Hmm/v 5MM/maf ATTO/EA/EXS.

Patented Oct. 218, 1952 SIGNATURE FEEDING AND STITCHING MACHINE Albert Herman Schmidtke, St. Joseph, Mich., assignor to F. P. Rosback Company, Benton Harbor, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application October 18, 1950, Serial No. 190,851

3 Claims.

The present improvements, relating as indicated to machines for stitching signatures and the like, have more particular regard to the provision of a relatively simple machine of this type which may be advantageously utilized in the smaller-sized printing plant. Thus the illustrative machine illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter described is a so-called signal station machine, i. e. one in which the signature assemblies or like articles to be stitched together may be supplied to the machine by a single operator.

One principal object accordingly is to provide la machine of the character in question which will be of extremely simple and compact construction and yet sturdy so as to be able to handle any kind of work within its capacity. As a matter of fact a number of the features of construction may be utilized just as well in machines of larger size, i. e. in which a plurality of stations is provided.

A further object is to provide a machine in which the necessary adjustments for adapting the same to stitching signature assemblies or the like which vary in size, may be readily accomplished.

A still further object is to provide a combination with the stitching machine proper a packer, operated in synchronism therewith, to which the stitched assemblies or like articles may be directly delivered and assembled in a convenient stack.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following de scription set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. l is a Side elevation of a stitching machine embodying my present improvements, certain portions thereof being omitted to show parts of the mechanism which would otherwise be obscured;

Fig. 2 is similarly partially an end view and partially a transverse section of such machine, the end View being taken from the left as illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational View similar to Fig. 1 of the packer to which the stitched assemblies are delivered, the right hand side of such packer as illustrated being designed to be directly connected to the left hand side of the stitching machine as illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is in part an end elevation of such packer as viewed from the left in Fig. 3, with parts shown in section; v

Fig. 5 is a plan view of such packer, including certain cooperative parts of the stitching machine;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the saddle taken adjacent the stitching station as indicated by the line 6-6 on Fig. 1, the plane of the section being the same las that which also appears in Fig. 2;

Fig. 'I is a side elevation of the cam which actuates the stitcher head, viewed from the left as indicated by the line 'l-l on Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a plan View shown apart from the machine, of the reciprocating member which carries the feed fingers and of the slide on which such member is mounted;

Fig. 9 is a transverse section of such slide and member, the' plane of the section being indicated by the line 9-9 on Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a transverse section through the saddle showing the adjustable back gauge mounted thereon, the plane of the section being indicated by the line I-l U on Fig. l; and

Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing the operating connections between the stitching machine and packer, the plane of the section being indicated by the line I I--I l on Fig. 2.

The stitching machine proper, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and l2' and subsidiary figures showing details, is of the so-called saddle type in which the various signatures, upon being gathered together, are placed by the operator on a saddle of general inverted-V cross-section, from which they are thereupon transferred by operation of the ma-chine to the stitching station from which in turn they are successively discharged or delivered to the packer.

The main frame of the machine comprises an oblong box-like structure F, which at the same time serves as a housing for certain of the operating parts and serves to support others. Thus the stitcher heads I, of which two are shown as being utilized (these being of standard construction do not require to be described in detail), are supported over one end of the saddle 2 forwardly of a hollow vertical extension 3 of the previously mentioned housing.

The main driving member for the machine is a transverse shaft 5 that forms part of a worm and worm gear assembly 6 suitably supported in the base of the ma-chine, such assembly being driven by means of a motor l through variable pitch pulleys 8 and 9 and connecting belt l0.

The stitcher heads I are mounted so as to be independently adjustable longitudinally of the saddle, in order that the location and relation of the stitches may be varied. To this end a bracket II is provided on the front face of housing extension 3, the face of such bracket being formed with a slot l2 to which the stitchers are slidably secured by means of bolts I3 and nuts I4. For the purpose of actuating the stitchers a rod or shaft I5 is mounted for vertically reciprocable movement within such housing extension, such movement being imparted thereto by an eccentric connection I5 between its lower end and a disc I 'I on the adjacent end of drive shaft 5. The upper end of said reciprocatory shaft has attached thereto a forwardly projecting arm I8 which carries a transversely disposed bar I9 aligned with the guideway to which the stitchers are adjustaly secured as previously described. It will be understood that connections 2B between the respective stitchers and such bar I9 are correspondingly adjustable along the latter. Normally such stitcher actuating means are held in inoperative position by a tension spring 2l located within housing extension 3 and connected at one end to the upper portion of such housing and at its lower end to the lower end of the reciprocatory rod or shaft I5. A compression spring 22 is included in the mounting of arm I8 on the upper end of said rod or shaft so that a yielding connection is provided therebetween.

Wire is supplied to the respective stitchers from suitable reels, which are mounted on inclined spindles 23 supported on the upper end of housing extension 3.

Each of the stitchers I is opposed by a clincher or anvil member 25 which is required to reciprocate in unison with the reciprocatory movement of the stitchers and also to be longitudinally adjustable in the same manner as said stitchers. To this end each clincher is thus reciprocably mounted in a plate-like carrier 28 that is in turn slidably held in a slot 21 formed in a transversely disposed member 28 on the upper end of a standard 29 that rises from the main housing F of the machine. Set bolts 3@ serve to secure said plates 2S in selected positions in the guideway thus provided, the latter being parallel with the guideway I2 whereby the stitchers 2 are supported. Vertically reciprocably secured to standard 29 is a bar 3| which carries a cross-head 32 at its upper end, such cross-head being aligned with the guideway to 'which plates 28 are adjustably secured in the manner just described. This cross-head is likewise formed with a slot 33 in which projections 34 on the lower ends of the clincher or anvil members are slidably fitted. Accordingly, it will be seen that irrespective of the location of the latter as the plates, whereby they are carried, are adjusted along the stationary guideway, such clincher members will be reciprocated upon reciprocation of the bar 3l. For thus reciprocating the latter a. disc cam S5, mounted on the forwardly projecting end of drive shaft 5, engages a roller 35 on the lower end of said bar, the rise or hump 3l on said cam being so located in relation to the eccentric connection I6 whereby the stitchers are operated as to cause simultaneous movement of the latter and of the corresponding clincher or anvil members in opposite directions once during each revolution of shaft 5.

Said clincher members, together with the adjustable operating mechanism therefor, are

housed between skirt-like side walls 4E) which depend from the inverted V-shaped saddle 2, an interruption in such front `wall permitting access to the set bolts 3G when it is desired to adjust the clincher or anvil members in the manner previously described.

Also located between such side walls lli! of the saddle is a guide '22 which extends longitudinally of the saddle from a point adjacent the outer end thereof (the right hand end as shown in Fig. l) to a point adjacent the stitching station. Mounted for movement along such guide is a slide 43 which is operated by means of an interconnected lever ist and links G5 and 46 by the same cam 35 which reciprocates the bar 3I and thus the clincher members of the stitching mechanism proper. Attached to the slide 123 so as to partake of the latters reciprocatory movement is a bar d? that extends to the left therefrom, as shown in Fig. 1, this bar being of such length that when the slide reaches its limit of movement in the corresponding direction it will project a substantial distance beyond the stitching station as well as beyond the corresponding end of the saddle. This bar is formed with a plurality of fingers i8 (two as shown), one adjacent its extremity and the other adjacent the slide (t3, the location of such fingers and the distance therebetween being such that when the bar is positioned as illustrated in Fig. 1, the foremost will lie beyond the stitching station while the rearmost lies closely adjacent thereto. However, upon reciprocaticn of the slide in reverse direction (to the right as shown in Fig. 1), the first finger will lie approximatel in the position previously occupied by the second, and the latter will be withdrawn to a point beyond an adjustable stop i9 on the saddle which serves as a locating point for they placement on such saddle of the signature assemblies which are to be stitched.

The front and also the rear wall of the saddle is formed with an elongated slot E through which such fingers 48 project, the latter being formed to engage correspondingly spaced signature assemblies upon their forward movement but being so shaped as to slide by such assemblies upon their reverse movement.

The operation of the machine as thus far described may be conveniently set forth at this point. Assuming the slide i3 and thus bar il with the fingers it thereon to be withdrawn, i. e. moved to the extreme right hand position as shown in Fig. 1, and an assembly of signatures to be placed on the saddle against stop 19, such assembly will be engaged by the rearmost fingers #28 upon the forward movement of the slide and be carried thereby along the saddle into stitching position. During the stitching operation the reverse movement of the slide, and thus of the lingers 48, occurs with the result that the forward linger is drawn back through the assembly being stitched and the rear finger positioned as before ready to advance a second assembly. Upon repetition of the forward movement, such second assembly is moved into stitching position as before and the previously stitched assembly is carried by the forward finger to the point of delivery beyond the corresponding end of the saddle and there be received by the packer which will now be described.

Suitably attached for vertical adjustment to the front wall of the main frame or housing F is a horizontally disposed table 5I on which the signatures or other material to be assembled and stitched may be placed in convenient reach of the operator who will sit in front of the machine facing such table and the saddle 2 located at the rear of such table.

The bar 41 which reciprocates within the saddle and carries the fingers 48 whereby successive signature assemblies are advanced to the stitching station and then carried therebeyond to the point of discharge, is provided at its forward end with an extension 52, preferably detachably secured to such end as by a bayonet joint, such extension being designed to support a stitched assembly or collated booklet as it is pushed beyond the stitching station and adjacent end of the saddle by the corresponding finger 48 on said bar. At its limit of movement of the bar in this direction such extension is adapted to. carry the stitched assembly or booklet over a horizontal table 54 of the packer, the construction of which is shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. Such stitched assembly may then be retained manually from being carried back with such extension upon movement of the bar in the opposite direction, or a suitable stripper finger (not shown) may be mounted adjacent to Such extension 52 which will serve to strip the stitched assembly therefrom upon such return movement of the bar. Such assembly will thus be left standing on edge on the packer table 54 and is thereupon pushed aside by mechanism now to be described, out of the way of the next succeeding assembly or booklet.

Packer table 54 is supported so as to be vertically adjustable above a box-like frame or housing 55 which, although separate from the main housing l, forms in effect an extension of the latter when brought alongside the left-hand end thereof as viewed in Fig. l. Any suitable means may be provided for raising or lowering the table, those shown comprising a shaft or stem 51 that is guided in bearings 58, 58 -provided in the frame 55, and ,two bevel gears 59 and G5, the first of which is threadedly mounted on said shaft while the second is rotatable through the medium of a crank 5l. Slidably resting on the top of the table is a slightly inclined backstop 62 against which the stitched signatures as they are received on the table are packed by means of a set of transversely disposed, vertically spaced oscillatorily supported fingers 63. The latter are suitably attached to the upper portion of an arm 64 that rises above the housing 56 to the rear of the table support 51, being carried by an oscillatory shaft 65 suitably journaled in such housing and extending beyond the side wall ofthe latter which is contiguous to the end of the main housing l. Such projecting end is operatively connected with main drive shaft 5 by means of a lever 55 which carries a roller 61 disposed to engage a laterally facing cam 61a on the disc cam 31 (see Figs. 3 and 11). A second lever 58 which is attached to shaft E5 within the housing 55 is connected to another wall of the latter by means of a tension spring 69. As a result of the operative connections just described, the arm 54 with the lingers carried thereby will be oscillated in synchronism with the operation of the stitching machine proper and in particular with the reciprocatory movement of the bar 41.

As best shown in Fig. 5, two normally stationary, angularly shaped guide lingers 1l! and 1I are supported on table 54, adjacent the side thereof to which the stitched signatures are delivered. Such ngers are thus supported by being mounted for vertical adjustment on rodsl 12 and 13 respectively and are so shaped as to present a V-shaped opening to the signature as it is thus delivered and direct the same in front of the lingers 63 when the latter are in retracted position. The vertical rod 12 has also attached to its upper end a second rod 14 that extends above and to the rear of said fingers 53 and carries a forwardly extending, downwardly bent, finger 15. The latter has limited oscillatory movement on said rod 14, rbeing normally held in the position shown in Fig. 4 by a coil spring 16 s0 that its lower end will be in position to engage the upper portion of a stitched signature as it is delivered in front of the retracted horizontal fingers 63. However, when the latter are swung forwardly, such lower end of finger 15 will be displaced sufficiently to permit such assembly to be pressed against the backstop 62, or the foremost of the signatures previously pressed thereagainst by operation of the ngers 63. Such lower end of ringer 15, it will further be observed, has an angular projection 11 which is adapted to rest upon and thus assist in retaining in place against the pack the last delivered signature or booklet assembly,

From the foregoing description of the packer mechanism it will be seen that its operation is tied in directly with the operation of the stitching machine so that as the stitched assemblies are successively delivered from the latter onto table 54 they will be collected in a pack, with the upper edges exposed for convenient inspection. Whenever a pack of suicient size accumulates, it may be readily removed and upon advancing the slidable rest 62 substantially to the position shown in Fig. 4, the machine is ready to collect another pack.

It will be understood that a foot control switch (not shown) will desirably be provided in connection with the drive motor 1 so that the stitching machine and connected packer may be stopped and started at any point in the cycle of operation.

The machine as a whole not only presents a neat and compact appearance, but actually cornprises a minimum number of parts, although at the same time provision is made for all necessary adjustments to enable the machine to handle a considerable variety of work. Actual tests have shown that the machine can handle practically all of the saddle stitching in the usual smaller-size plant at one-half the labor cost of the ordinary single-head pedestal stitcher, i. e. will give twice the production with one operator that the same operator can obtain from such a single-head stitcher. Furthermore, the stitches being placed mechanically, the work presents a much neater appearance than where the stitches are placed more or less by guess work.

Other modes of applying the principles of my invention may be employed instead of the'one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a signature stitching machine wherein the signatures to be stitched are moved along a saddle to a stitching machine, the combination of a saddle of general inverted-V cross-section, a single feed slide located within and reciprocable longitudinally of said saddle, an elongated member attached to said feed slide for reciprocation therewith, a plurality of fingers fixedly attached to said member in longitudinally spaced relation therealong, and means adapted to -reciprocate said feed slide in synchronism with operation of the stitching machine, said ngers projecting laterally beyond said saddle and beingv shaped to engage correspondingly spaced signature assemblies resting thereon upon movement towards the stitching machine, one of said i'ingers being so located as to move the signature assembly engaged thereby into position to be stitched when said slide reaches the limit of its reciprocatory movement towards the stitching machine, said means beingtimed to move said slide in the reverse direction while such assembly is held at such station and said fingers being shaped to slide by such assemblies during such reverse movement.

2. In a signature stitching machine wherein the signatures to'be stitched are moved along a saddle to a stitching machine, the combination of a saddle of general inverted-V cross-section, an elongated member located within and reciprocable longitudinally or" said saddle, means adapted to reciprocate said member in synchronism with operation of the stitching machine, a first inger xedly attached to said member and projecting laterally beyond said saddle operative to engage a signature assembly placed thereon and to move such assembly into stitching position when said member reaches the limit of its reciprocatory movement towards the stitching machine, and a second linger likewise xedly attached to said member and projecting laterally beyond saidsaddle, said second finger being longitudinally spaced on said member from said irst finger and operative to engage the assembly in stitching position when said member reaches the limit of its reciprocatory movement in the reverse direction, thereby to move such assembly from such position upon the next forward movement of said member towards the stitching machine, said means being timed to move said member in the reverse direction while the assembly is held in stitching position and said fingers being shaped to slide by such assemblies during such reverse movement.

3. In a signature stitching machine wherein the signatures to be stitched are moved along a saddle to a stitching machine, the combination of a saddle of general inverted-V cross-section, an elongated member located within and reciprocable longitudinally of said saddle, a plurality of lingers xedly attached to said member vin longitudinally spaced relation therealong, means adapted to reciprocate the latter'in synchronism with. operation of the stitching machine, said ngers projecting laterally beyond said saddle and being shaped to engage correspondingly spaced signature assemblies resting thereon upon movement towards thestitching machine, one of said fingers being so located as to move the-signature assembly engagedl thereby into position to be stitched when said member reaches the limit of its reciprocatory movement towards the stitching machine, said means being timed to move said member in the reverse direction while such assembly is held at such station and said iingers being shaped to slide by such assemblies during such reverse movement, and a stop adjustable along said saddle whereby a signature assembly thereon may be located in position to be picked up by said member.

ALBERT HERMAN SCHMIDTKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS y Number Name Date 1,180,725 Kast Apr. 25, 1916 1,399,555 Heitshu Dec..6, 1921 1,644,192 Kast Oct. 4, 1927 1,774,170 Clark et al Aug. 26, 1930 2,009,172 Frazier July 23, 1935 2,105,372 Pratt Jan. 1l, 1938 

